Wire-drawing apparatus



May 7,1940. D- Ns 2,199,495

WIRE-DRAWING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 17, 1938 mm M .mw V n. DM

Patented May 7,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE-DRAWING APPARATUS setts Application December 17, 1938, Serial No. 246,354

6 Claims.

This invention relates to continuous wiredrawing machines of that type in which the wire is drawn dry, dry lubricant being supplied to the wire to lubricate it as it is drawn through the 5 die, and also being supplied to the wire-receiving surface of the drawing drum to provide proper lubrication between the wire on the drum and said wire-receiving surface.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a wire-drawing apparatus of this type which is constructed so that the dry lubricant is supplied to the wire and to the wire-receiving surface of the drawing drum by centrifugal action created by the rotation of the drum.

A further object of the invention is to provide improvements in continuous wire-drawing apparatus in which the dry lubricant is carried in a chamber formed in the drawing drum within the wire-receiving surface thereof, and is sup- 20 plied to the wire and said surface through passages leading from the chamber to said surface. Further objects of the invention are to provide various improvements in wire-drawing apparatus such as will be more fully hereinafter set forth. In the drawing wherein I have illustrated a selected embodiment of the invention: V

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through one of the drawing drums of a continuous wire-drawing machine embodying the invention;

30 I Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view illustrating a portion of a continuous wire-drawing machine embodying the invention.

In the drawing, I indicates the various dies of a. continuous wire-drawing machine through 35 which the wire 2 is drawn successively, and 31ndicates the drawing drums, one for each die, by

which the wire is drawn through the dies, each drawing drum being provided with a wire-receiving surface 4. p

In these continuous wire-drawing machines, the wire 2 after having been passed through a die I, is wound several times around the wire-receiving surface 4 of the corresponding drawing drum, as shown at I, and then passes to and 5 through the next die I, and thence is wound several times around the wire-receiving surface 4 of the next drawing drum, and then passes to the third die I, and from thence to the third drawing drum, etc.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, there is shown an idler or direction pulley 5 between each two adjacent drums 3 so that after the wire leaves any drum 3, it passes around a direction pulley 5 and thence to the next die I.

The drawing drums I are driven in any suitable or usual way, each drum being fast on a vertical driving shaft 6, and any usual mechanism being employed for rotating the various shafts 6 at the proper speed.

In dry-drawing of wire it is necessary to provide the wire with dry lubricant before it passes through any die, and it is also desirable to have the wire-receiving surface 4 of each drawin drum lubricated so that the slippage of the turns 1 of the wire on said surface which inevitably occurs will not injure the wire.

According to my present invention, I have provided means for supplying dry lubricant both to the wire as it is wound on any drum and to the wire-receiving surface on which it is wound, by centrifugal action created by the rotation of the drum.

' For this purpose, each drawing drum is provided with a lubricant-containing chamber situated within the wire-receiving surface of the drum, and passages are provided forming a communication between the chamber and the wirereceiving surface of the drum through which the dry lubricant may be delivered to the wire and said surface by centrifugal action as the drum rotates.

' In the construction herein shown, each drum 3 is formed with an annular chamber 8 adapted to contain dry lubricant 9. This chamber 8 is formed between the hub III of the drum and the outer wall or curb I I, the outer surface of which constitutes the wire-receiving surface of the drum. This outer wall or' curb II is provided with a plurality of passages I2 which communicate at their inner ends with the chamber 8, the outer ends of the passage opening through the wall II at the lower end of the wire-receiving surfaces 4.

Assuming that the chamber 8 of each drum is supplied with the dry lubricant 9, it will be understood that as the drum rotates, the dry lubricant will be delivered through the passages I2 by centrifugal force and will thus be delivered onto the wire as it is wound on the wire-receiving surface 4, and the lubricant will also find its way onto said surface 4, so as to provide sufficient lubrication between the turns 1 of the wire on any drum and said surface to prevent any injury to the wire by reason of such slippage as may 00- gur between the wire and the wire-receiving surace.

The drawing of the wire through the die I" heats the wire somewhat so that the wire is somewhat warm as it is wound on the wire-receiving surface 4 of any drum 3. The heat of the wire serves to soften the dry lubricant and cause it to adhere to the wire. Sumcient lubricant will thus adhere to the wire so that when the wire leaves any drum 3, and passes around the idler 5 and thence to the next die I, said wire will carry on tating the dry lubricant in the chamber 8 so as to prevent it from becoming caked. The stirrer herein shown is in the form of a finger l3 supported on a suitable bracket M which is secured to the table [5 of the wire-drawing machine. The lower end of this finger 13 extends nearly to the bottom of the chamber 9, and since the finger I3 is stationary, the rotation of the drum 3 and the rotary movement of the dry lubricant carried thereby results in causing the finger l3 to keep the dry lubricant well stirred or agitated.

It indicates a pan or vessel carried by the table l5 and situated beneath each drum which serves to catch any dry lubricant which is thrown off from the drum.

The dry lubricant 9 may be supplied to the chamber 8 of each drum in any approved way. In the drawing, there is shown a hopper I! having a delivery spout l8 situated to deliver into the upper end of the chamber 8 which, it will be observed, has an open upper end. The lubricant may be delivered to the hopper IT in any suitable way. In fact, the workman tending the machine may periodically scoop up the dry lubricant that gathers in the pan I6 and manually deposit it in the hopper ll.

While I have illustrated herein a selected embodiment of the invention, I do not wish to be limited to the constructional features shown.

I claim:

1. A continuous wire-drawing machine comprising a plurality of drawing drums, each having a wire-receiving surface, means to rotate the drums, a die for each drawing drum, each drum having an annular chamber adapted to contain dry lubricant, and also having passages leading from said chamber to the wire-receiving surface of the drum, and means to stir the dry lubricant passages leading from said chamber to the wirereceiving surface through which the dry lubricant is delivered, and a stationarily-held stirring element depending into said chamber and operating to stir the dry lubricant as the drum rotates.

3. A continuous wire-drawing machine comprising a plurality of drawing drums, each having a wire-receiving surface with which the wire has physical contact as it is wound thereon, means to rotate the drums, and a die for each drawing drum, each drum having provision for delivering dry lubricant by centrifugal action to the wire as it is wound thereon and has physical contact therewith.

4. A continuous wire-drawing machine comprising a plurality of drawing drums, each having an exterior wire-receiving surface with which the wire has physical contact as it is wound thereon and also having a chamber adapted to contain dry lubricant, the exterior wall of said chamber having passageways therethrough which lead to the portion of the wire-receiving surface with which the wire has physical contact and through which passages dry lubricant in said chamber is delivered to said surface by centrifugal action due to rotation of the drum.

5. A continuous wire-drawing machine comprising a plurality of drawing drums, each rotatable about a vertical axis and provided with a ing an open-topped annular chamber adapted to contain dry lubricant and situated within its wire-receiving surface, the bottom of each chamber inclining downwardly and outwardly, each drum also having passages at the bottom of the chamber through the portion thereof separating said chamber from said surface and terminating at said surface and through which the dry lubricant in said chamber may be delivered by centrifugal force-as the drum rotates.

6. A drawing drum for a wire-drawing machine, said drum having a chamber adapted to contain dry lubricant and which is enclosed by an annular wall, the outer surface of which constitutes a wire-receiving surface on which the wire is wound in physical contact therewith, said wall having a passageway extending completely therethrough and leading from said chamber to said wire-receiving surface and through which dry lubricant may be delivered by centrifugal force when the drum is rotated and means rendered operative by the rotation of the drum to stir the dry lubricant in said chamber.

. CHARLES D. JOHNSON. 

